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Archive of "If Aids strikes Singapore", The Straits Times, 15 April 1985
=Scan of article & page= =Editable text of article= If Aids strikes Singapore Three men in Singapore have been found with the Aids virus, but they have been described as “clinically well". What if the disease breaks out here? NANCY KOH talks to Dr Ong Yong Wan, head of the Singapore General Hospital’s Haematology Department and spokesman for the Ministry of Health’s advisory committee on the disease. In Page Two • THE salesman who caught the bug • HOW the pestilence has spread QUESTION: What is Aids? ANSWER: Aids (or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a highly infectious disease It causes a severe immune deficiency that leaves the body defenceless against opportunistic (bacterial, fungal and viral) infections and rare forms of malignant diseases such as a skin cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma. The cause has been traced to a retrovirus called HTLV-III (Human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type III). Q: What Are the risks of contracting Aids? A: The public shouldn't be alarmed. Epidemiological data available shows that the risks are very low for an average person, given that the disease appears to affect only certain groups in the population. In the present context, a person is more likely to get Hepatitis B than Aids. Q: What can an ordinary person do to prevent himself from being infected? A: Aids may be spread through sexual contact, open cuts, blood transfusions and contaminated injection needles. The chances of being infected are minimal, except for those in the high-risk groups, but everyone should maintain a high standard of cleanliness and personal hygiene. Q: What are the risks of contracting Aids if a friend or relative has it? A: That risk is a little bit more, and greater if the individual is a sexual partner of the Aids victim. There is no necessity to ostracise the victim, as there is little evidence that infection can be caused by sneezing, coughing, casual contact or even by sharing meals, if sensible precautions are taken. But you should be consciously hygienic and not share articles such as toothbrushes and razors. Q: If in a high-risk group, what should a person do to avoid getting Aids? A: The simplest answer is to refrain from activities which will in any way further expose the person to infection. Homosexuals and bisexuals should curtail their sexual practices, drug addicts should stop abusing themselves with intravenous injections; and high-risk groups should not donate blood, tissue and organs. In Singapore, our haemophiliacs (of whom there are 150) suffer from an inherited lifelong bleeding disorder. They receive a Blood Bank-prepared blood product known as cryoprecipitate, rather than the expensive, commercially-prepared, purified factor concentrates which are imported. The risk of Aids is higher for the commercial preparation, and haemophiliacs will receive appropriate counselling for their treatment. Purified concentrates would still be necessary in life-threatening emergencies, where the risk of death would outweigh the risk of Aids. The pharmaceutical industry is developing ways to eliminate infective viruses - including that of Aids from purified blood factor concentrates. Q: Aids cases have already been reported in Hongkong, Bangkok, Taiwan and Japan. It's inevitable that it will hit other Asian cities, including Singapore. But the question is when? A: The indications suggest that the transmission of Aids is similar to Type B Hepatitis, so what we are dealing with is a • Continued on Page Two FEVER PATIENTS with Aids develop a severe prolonged fever that will not go away BRAIN, NERVOUS SYSTEM BRAIN tumours and infections of the central nervous system can develop. Headaches, personality changes, a loss of dexterity, convulsions and trouble with sight can occur as a result BONE MARROW LYMPH NODES LIVER and BONE MARROW ORGANISMS gradually damage the liver, the 'computer centre' which decides where to send appropriately digested food to all the cells of the body and the bone marrow which produces new blood cells BOWEL MOST of the patients with lung problem will also have mild diarrhoea, weight loss and varying degrees of discomfort and pain in the abdomen. Others will have a very severe diarrhoea and difficulty absorbing food which will lead to a dramatic weight loss SKIN A QUARTER of all Aids victims will develop Kaposi's sarcoma, a skin cancer with growths on the feet and legs, covering the face, trunk and arms What it does to the body AIDS occurs in two stages. Dr Ong Yong Wan, head of the Singapore General Hospital's Haematology Department and spokesman of the Ministry of Health’s advisory committee on the disease, tells us what it does to the body: • STAGE ONE: The Aids virus destroys the immune system • STAGE TWO: One or more organisms infect the body (see graphic above). These organisms, normally present in the environment, enter the body and are usually rejected along with millions of other organisms by normal, healthy people. Some victims develop Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare form of skin cancer while other develop cancer of the lymph node known as lymphoma. Most of the organisms associated with Aids are found In the lungs and bowel, so an Aids victim may be down with a lung infection or persistent diarrhoea. As the disease progresses, victims can be invaded by other organisms. With no immunity left, the victim is virtually helpless and cannot fight off those organisms. They take hold and give rise to widespread infections which are rapidly fatal. • Continued on Page Two =See also= *Archive of "Three in S’pore found with Aids-linked virus", The Straits Times, 10 April 1985 *Archive of "Aids virus: Doctor who 'found it'", The Sunday Times, 14 April 1985 *Archive of "A chance to be ahead in medicine", The Singapore Monitor, 16 April 1985 *Archive of "Aids on ‘must report’ list", The Straits Times, 17 April 1985 *Archive of "Undergrads to be taught about Aids", The Straits Times, 21 April 1885 *Archive of "16 more may be carriers of Aids virus", The Straits Times, 30 April 1985 *Archive of "Aids doctor thanks mum", The Straits Times, 12 May 1985 *Archive of "Special lab to do Aids tests soon", The Straits Times, 18 May 1985 *Archive of "Man with Aids related virus in hospital", The Straits Times, 21 July 1985 *Archive of "Aids carrier leaves hospital", The Straits Times, 28 July 1985 *Archive of "Ministry steps up Aids drive", The Straits Times, 5 September 1985 *Archive of "Singapore ‘first in the world’ to have 100 % screening of donor blood", The Straits Times, 11 September 1985 *Archive of "S’pore-Stanford research tie-up bid", The Straits Times, 10 October 1985 *Archive of "Aids: 20,000 cleared", The Straits Times, 29 November 1985 *Archive of "200 turn up for first public medical convention", The Straits Times, 28 April 1986 *Archive of "Screening tests likely to uncover more Aids carriers", The Straits Times, 1 May 1986 *Archive of "100 people could be Aids carriers here: Expert", The Straits Times, 3 August 1986 *Archive of "Aids claims first victim here", The Straits Times, 11 April 1987 *Archive of "Fear of Aids pushes up condom sales", The Straits Times, 19 April 1987 *Archive of "Govt dental clinics phasing out boiling", The Straits Times, 1 October 1987 *Earliest cases of HIV/AIDS in Singapore *HIV/AIDS in Singapore's LGBT community *Paddy Chew *Avin Tan *Ajmal Khan *Calvin Tan *Adrian Tyler =References= *Nancy Koh, "If Aids strikes Singapore", The Straits Times, 15 April 1985[]. =Acknowledgements= This article was archived by Roy Tan. Category:Archive of LGBT articles